Time Crossed Heroes
by BladeOfThePoet
Summary: It has been 3 years since the defeat of King Roland. The Guardians were peacefully resting in the Garden, until Celebi decided they were too idillic. So what happens when the little Legendary sends some of the Guardians to another timeline? One in whic Dragon never abandoned Pokemon Training?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again my good readers! This is the first chapter of the first sequel to GoA. I've been **_**dying **_**to write this, and I have so many things planned! I really hope you enjoy this as much as I will enjoy writing it. Dragon?**

**Dragon: BladeOfThePoet does not own Pokémon, its rights, or characters. All OCs belong to their respective creators. This specific storyline, its prequel, and the Guardian Personas of cannon characters do belong to him**

**The Shack**

3 years. It has been 3 years since the second War of Aura. 3 years since King Roland was destroyed, and his Hunters disbanded. Ritias, now 7 years old, had enough power to spar with her dad for an hour (which was plenty, considering her age), and she and the other kids have developed their abilities to the point they could defeat most other beings in the Garden. As for the Guardians, they really didn't have much to do, now with the Hunters gone. They occasionally went to a main region and gave hell to the local teams, but aside from that (and the occasional still-loyal Hunter) Altomare was pretty peaceful, and in the eyes of a small, green being, it was _too _peaceful. As Celebi flew around the Garden, he began to see how the Guardians' versions from other timelines were faring. In some of the timelines, the Guardians had lost against the hunters, but their children eventually won. In some, the Hunters had complete control of the world and Dragon was their first commander. Celebi stopped dry, however, when he found an interesting timeline. He could see that Dragon was still the naïve trainer he was before his 'death', and that this one never left to train his Aura. Celebi couldn't help but chuckle when an evil idea found its way into his chlorophyll powered brain.

'_Oh man, this is gonna be awesome!' _His plan was simple: Send the Guardians into this new timeline and see how they interacted with their other selves! '_But I can't send them all… if I do that no one will be left in this world to protect it… Decisions, decisions… I know!'_

**Meanwhile, in front of the shack**

The Guardians were all peacefully enjoying the evening in their own ways. Dragon, for example, was showing his daughter the principles of Aura, lessons the little girl took to heart. Another example is Shadow who was… sleeping. It was a perfect heaven for all of them, now that they didn't have to worry about the Hunters. Even so, Dragon couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. None of them noticed the Time Gate opening above.

**Unova Region.**

"ALRIGHT!" Ash yelled as he happily devoured his meal. Despite his travels, he was still the same little kid as always. Iris sweatdropped at his appetite, while Cilan simply chuckled. Ash had just won his fourth Unova badge, the Bolt badge, and they had stopped in a restaurant to celebrate. Despite the delicious food, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen, and considering his previous adventures, it wasn't a feeling to ignore. Just as he was about to dig into his food again, a pair of hands covered his eyes, each hand belonging to a different person.

"Guess who!" The owners of both hands yelled.

"May? Dawn?" Ash asked in disbelief as he shook off the hands. Just as he had guessed, the two coordinators were standing there. "It is you! Oh man, I've missed you guys so much! Where's Max?"

"Over here!" Max yelled from the shop next door.

"Ain't this a nice meeting." Yet another voice rang from nearby. Turning around, Ash saw Riley standing there, his Lucario leaning against a wall.

"Riley! Oh man, I can't believe you guys are here!" Just as he said that, Ash's happy look was replaced by his typical clueless look. "Um… why ARE you guys here?" May and Dawn sighed at his naïveté.

"Well, I'm here to train." Riley answered.

"And we are here to visit you, silly!" The coordinators told him, knowing how he was still oblivious to the feelings of the female population. They all ate happily, exchanging stories of their adventures.

"So, Ash…" Dawn started. "Where are you guys headed now?"

"Eh… I don't know… Cilan?" With a heavy sigh, the Connoisseur brought out the little info guide he had.

"According to this, we should head down Route 5 until we reach Driftveil City, going through the Driftveil drawbridge." The green haired man explained. "There's a small warning here. Apparently, there's been a lot of Team Plasma activity in the region… this sure has a bad flavor…"

"That ain't a problem!" Ash announced, striking a pose, and Pikachu was at his side imitating him. "Pikachu and I can beat ANYTHING that comes our way! Right Pikachu?"

"PiKA!" The small rat answered.

"Hey, I have an idea!" May said suddenly. "Let's all travel together! Just like old times, right Ash?" The young trainer just nodded, his brain not catching the evil plans forming in the minds of the coordinators.

**30 min. later, route 5**

The small group travelled swiftly through the forested path, though they were held back by Ash getting in tons of Battles. The only reason he did, though, was to get rid of the feeling that _something _was about to happen. And man, did he wish he had been wrong. As they walked, May noticed that something was bugging Ash.

"Hey, Ash? Is something wrong?" She asked, startling the trainer out of his worries.

"Oh, it's nothing…" One look at her, even with his near infinite innocence, Ash noticed she wasn't buying it. "*sigh* ok, I just have this feeling that something's gonna happen. And every time I get this feeling, it usually involves a legendary Pokémon and from time to time the possibility of the end of the world." He answered, shivering at the thought of some of his encounters. The one that had scarred him the most had been the very first encounter with Mewtwo. Even though the clone of Mew had erased his memories from that day, the memory of having died and turned to stone wasn't something that could be easily erased. "But I'm sure I'm just being para…"

"Hey, what's that?" Max asked, pointing to the sky.

"I spoke too soon…" Ash muttered. He lifted his head to see what Max was pointing at, and saw that some treetops had begun glowing an eerie blue color, and there was a potent ripple in the air. He remembered one Legendary adventure of his where something similar had happened. His suspicions were confirmed when a high-pitched voice rang out of nowhere.

'_Biiiiii!'_

"Celebi" Ash yelled, startled. What was Celebi doing in Unova? And more importantly, who was he bringing along this time? '_Oh please, don't let it be us getting sent to the past…'_

The ripple suddenly intensified, and 7 figures dropped out of the sky. Ash noticed they were all wearing robes like Sir Aaron's, but with a different color scheme. The figures landed a few feet away from them, unconscious. Ash and company rushed in to help them.

"What was that?" Cilan looked around warily as he said that.

"I think it was Celebi…" Ash answered, looking around as well. "I met him once before, when I…" He was interrupted by a loud gasp, obviously from May. He ran over to see what had happened, and couldn't help but gasp as well.

"Hey, what's going on her… What the!" Was all Max could say as he pushed through his older friends. Lying on the floor, right there, unconscious… was himself, or rather, an older self. "H-how is this possible?"

"It must've been Celebi… I think he brought the You of another time… maybe even another timeline…" Cilan muttered, remembering what he had heard about Celebi controlling Time. Before anyone could give out any other theories, the Other Max groaned. May, thinking it'd be best if he saw her face upon awakening, kneeled down next to him. She never even considered this action could be dangerous.

The other Max opened his eyes slowly, making Ash and Co. finally notice that his glasses weren't around. When his eyes finally opened, they focused on May.

"M-May? Y-you're alive!?" He asked softly, probably feeling too groggy to yell. Tears welled up in May's eyes. She had left her brother alone in this other timeline. The other Max began to run a hand down her cheek, as if to make sure she was real.

"Yes, Max, I'm alive and well… *Gasp* *Choke!*" The minute she said that, the hand of the other Max clasped around her neck. All of them, especially Riley, could feel the malicious Aura surrounding the Other Max.

"Hehe… **Then **I'll **just **have **to **fix **that **_again, _**won't **I?" the Other Max said, his voice becoming distorted and deeper. With a single palm thrust, he sent May flying, causing her to crash against a tree. She cried out in pain as she collided with the trunk. The other Max stood up, towering over his counterpart, but not noticing him. His eyes were glowing an evil white color, and a green Aura was starting to bubble around him. "**Man, I am going to enjoy doing this **_**again…" **_He said as he slowly approached her, his voice deeper and colder than ever. "**How should I do it this time? Beheading? Dismembering? Rip your heart out?" **He mused, laughing at the terrified look in her face. "**No, I've already done all of those… Maybe I'll just rip out your lungs and watch you choke." **He was now upon her. The green Aura began to take the shape of an armor around him, his left hand clasped tightly around May's throat. Max, Cilan, and Ash began to throw rocks at the man, but he simply ignored them… until a deep, powerful voice called out.

"Mind, that's ENOUGH!" The green Aura dispelled, the others stopped throwing rocks, Riley dissolved the Aura Sphere he was preparing. Another of the figures had awoken, this one wearing a deep blue Aura Master cloak, and his hat covered his features. The other Max pouted at the figures words.

"Oh, come on, Dragon. You know we can't let her live! And besides, this is the most fun I've had in 3 years." He told the 'Dragon' figure.

"Look at her closely, Mind. Use your Aura. Do you sense any machines in her?" 'Dragon' said harshly. The Other Max, that this 'Dragon' person called Mind, narrowed his eyes in confusion, before staring at May.

"Ehh… nope… I don't… whoops." He said as he unceremoniously dropped May. The girl began to cough loudly, trying to get air into her oxygen deprived lungs.

"Sister!" 'Mind's eyes widened when Max passed beside him. "Sister! Are you ok? Say something!"

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" Mind all but shrieked, waking up the remaining figures. Ash and Co. frowned at his choice of words, but decided to ignore it. "Why the hell is there a young me here! And why is he worried about that woman!?"

"She's my sister! Why wouldn't I be worried?" Max yelled back at him.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she's an insane, closed minded person who has died at least 15 times! And I did all of them!" Another figure, dressed in a gray Aura Master Robe, bopped mind in the head. "OW! What the hell was that for, Steel?"

"Because, you idiot, NONE OF THAT HAS HAPPENED!" 'Steel' answered the Other Max.

"Enough, Brothers." The Fourth figure spoke. She was obviously female, and her robes were a light red. "Dragon is speaking to Celebi. I'm sure the little weed will be able to answer some of our questions." She motioned to the Dragon figure, who was indeed talking to Celebi. The other three figures, who were identified as Ice, Poison, and Thunder, went to accompany him.

"Celebi, where are we?" The man asked in a calm, yet harsh tone. The green sprite giggled.

"Bi! Bi, bi, Celebi! Cele, celebi!" To Ash and his friends, it only sounded like he was saying his name over and over, but to the figures, it made perfect sense.

"WHAAA!?" Mind yelled out. "What do you mean we're in an alternate timeline? Why the hell did you do such a thing!?"

"Bi, bi!"

"Because it was FUN!?"

"Bi!"

"Oh, that's it. Prepare to be Berserker Bashed!" Mind yelled, outraged.

"Can these guys… understand Pokémon?" Ash asked, dumbfounded.

"Sure looks like it…" Cilan answered. Their conversation was stopped, however, when Celebi flew past them, followed by an Ice Beam. The thing was, the Beam wasn't fired by a Pokémon, but one of the figures instead, much to Iris's dismay.

'_A human with Ice type attacks!?' _Were the only words that echoed through her mind.

"COME BACK HERE YOU ROOTS FOR BRAINS!" Flame yelled as she inhaled deeply. The non-aura users were wondering what she was going to do, until she fired a massive stream of flames at the Pokémon. "Send us back home!" Dragon then began to chase the little guy, his Aura Wings extending, shocking Ash and his friends. Dragon didn't notice when two square pieces of paper fell out of his pocket, and straight into Ash's hands.

'_A picture?' _He turned the paper around and analyzed the first image. '_Oh, it's a photo of an older me and Latias… hey, why is she wearing a wedding dress? Why am I wearing a tux? Why is Arceus between us? It almost looks like a… Nah, I doubt it…' _He then turned to the other picture. It was him… well, an _older _him, carrying a little girl on his shoulders. The appearance of the girl was… confusing, to say the least. She had the structure of a Human being, but the features of a Pokémon, Latias, to be exact. On the other side of the paper, he saw the words '_Daddy and Me' _written crudely, like a toddler just learning how to write. He may have not been the sharpest tool in the shed, but even Ash was able to put one and one together. '_T-that guy is… me!? A-a-a-and he married… LATIAS!?' _Just then, Dragon returned and landed in front of the others.

"It's no good. I lost him. The little bastard sneaked into the woods and time traveled before I could get him." He said as he rubbed his shoulder, feeling a little sore from the use of the wings. That's when he noticed Ash staring wide-eyed at some pictures, and his hand quickly snapped to his pocket. Before Ash could even blink, he found himself with a sword pressed against his neck. Riley quickly reacted and fired an Aura Sphere and them, but Dragon simply absorbed it.

"Give me the pictures, _now_." Dragon commanded. Ash, fearful for his life, did as requested. "Now, if you have half a brain, you probably already know who I am…" Dragon then removed his mouth mask… revealing an older version of Ash.

"Y-you're… me." Ash stuttered.

"No, I'm not." Everyone, except the figures, was confused at his statement. "You are Ash Ketchum, a young trainer who dreams to be a Pokémon Master."

"Of course!" The young trainer yelled in excitement. "I will be the very best Trainer, like no one ever has… wait, if I'm that, then who are you?" Dragon stood proudly, taking the pictures out of Ash's hands and dissolving his sword, to Riley's amazement.

"I am Ash Ketchum. Kingslayer, and Leader of the Sacred Guardians of Altomare" He said proudly, before motioning to the others. They all removed their facial coverings. "Everyone, name, codename, and role"

"I am Max. Guardian of the Mind, host of the Berserker, and the muscle in this team." May and Max both noted that Mind had not said his last name. He glared at May the whole time. He materialized his Prime Shield to show it off.

"I am Dawn. Guardian of Flame, and the one in charge of Stealth ops and assassinations." Dawn stared in both horror and fascination at her counterpart. She had her bladed Tonfa's out, and was spinning them around expertly.

"I am Jasmine. Guardian of Thunder, and technician." Thunder said, twirling one of her shuriken in her index finger.

"Janina. Guardian of Poison. Torture and Interrogation." No one of this timeline was able to suppress a gasp when they saw not one, but _two _gym leaders among the figures.

"Riley. Guardian of Steel. Torture and interrogation." He emphasized this by materializing his Prime Claws, 10 long blades of Aura that encompassed each of his fingers. Janina materialized her poison laden knives, too. One drop of the poison touched the ground, and all the grass around it died in seconds.

"And I am Silver. Guardian of Ice, and executioner." He said as he swung his Axe into the floor, freezing the area where the poison had hit. The minute the Ice formed, Iris bolted away, panicked. Dragon sighed loudly when the introductions were finished

"I'm getting the feeling this will be a long, _long _journey home…"

**CUT! Ah, feels so good to have that out. Oh, and Dragon is right… the journey is gonna be **_**LOOOOONG.**_** Well, there ain't much more to be said, so, this is BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


	2. Clash of the Ash!

**Hello again my good readers! Once more we delve into the world of the Time Crossed Heroes! Last time, the Guardians met their other selves from another time, the timeline of the anime. As the Guardian Leader meets the Goofy Trainer, fear settles on the trainers. Now, let us begin!**

**Route 5**

Silence reigned in the route as the Sacred Guardians were locked in a stare down against their other selves. The Guardians regarded them with curiosity, wondering just how different could these versions of themselves be. The Trainers, however, were staring in fear, seeing as how their counterparts had obviously been serious about their roles. Mind was still glaring at May, relishing the idea of taking her out again. Sensing the tension, Dragon spoke, his deep voice echoing through the area.

"I believe it to be a good idea for each of us to tell his story, _Trainer_." He said, obviously addressing Ash, spitting the word trainer as if it was poison. Dragon explained to the Trainers how he abandoned training after Hoenn and began to train his Aura (And the simple thought of abandoning training nearly made Ash pass out), and Ash explained all that he had done ever since that day (Which was the point in which the timelines diverged). The Trainers were awed as they listened to the exploits of their other selves, and not a little horrified about some of their actions against the Hunters. Max, however, was skeptical about one thing.

"Wait a minute, the Berserker and Paladin? Do you seriously expect us to believe Ash and I are descendants from a myth? Please, I mean, not only is the War of Aura a _myth,_ it's physically impossible for anyone to have two minds in them!" Max's know-it-all attitude surfaced as he spoke, not noticing how Mind's glare turned colder by the minute. "How can we know you're not lying?" Just as he said that, a bunch of team Plasma Grunts appeared, ready for a fight. As they began to spout something about freeing Pokemon, Mind began to grin sadistically.

"You wanna see, eh?" He asked, his grin growing scarier. "Hey Dragon, can I?"

"Go right ahead. Just don't kill them. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves." With a nod, Mind closed his eyes. Green aura began to bubble around him. A powerful armor began to form… "Oh, stop trying to make it so dramatic, you show-off!" Mind slumped when Dragon scolded him, and instantly finished forming the Armor and unleashed an earth-shaking roar. The Trainers stared in absolute horror as the armored being started to pound the Grunts to the floor. The sound of bones breaking and skin being pierced filled the air. 2 minutes later, all of the grunts were down, heavily injured. "Mind…"

"They'll live, don't worry…" Mind said nonchalantly as he stepped over a grunt (His armor already dissolved, though) "Gotta say, I rather hoped these guys would be able to give me more of a fight. Hell, even the Hunter Grunts made better opponents." He crouched down and ripped off the Plasma insignia. "Huh, look. It's Team Plasma."

"Looks like these guys are still around in this timeline…" Flame said as she looked over the unconscious grunts. "Hadn't we gotten rid of them?"

"That we did…" Steel answered her. "If I remember correctly, we got 'em by having Mind collapse their castle over them."

"Hehe, yeah, I remember that day. Man, was that **FUN!" **Mind reformed his Berserker armor at the last word, scaring the hell out of the Trainer group. Luckily, Dragon gave him a powerful bop on the head that forced the armor to disappear. "Aw… c'mon, man, just let me have some fun."

"I will when your fun doesn't involve scaring the wits out of some brats." Dragon said in a monotone voice. "Now, we must focus on what truly matters, and that is…"

"To become a Pokemon Master! Right!?" Ash interrupted Dragon, who simply sighed in annoyance.

"That isn't even in my list of priorities. Now shut up." The leader of the Guardians scolded his other self, who stood in shock at the words he had just heard. Becoming a Pokemon Master wasn't a priority? How could his other self say that!? "Now, as I was saying. We need to find a way back to our own timeline. We have two choices: Communicate with Palkia and Dialga and have them send us back, or find Celebi." He explained as he used his sword to draw some maps on the dirt. "All things considered, Palkia and Dialga are our fastest choice. Right now, Celebi could be anywhere… or anytime. Since we are in Unova right now, finding the Legendaries of Sinnoh might be a bit hard…"

"Hmm… Maybe the Giratina of this timeline can help us?" Flame suggested. "If I remember correctly, the Distortion World should make locating them easier."

The guardians continued brainstorming on how to find the Legends, while the Trainers kept watching them. May and Dawn were shocked by how different this Ash… er, Dragon was. May, however, was even more shocked by how the other Max, the other version of her _brother_ had, apparently, _killed _her. Repeatedly. After a few minutes, Ash approached the Guardians.

"H-hey. I was thinking…"

"That would be a first for you…" Dragon muttered.

"… Maybe you guys could travel with us while you find a way back?" Ash said mareepishly. The Guardians stopped for a second, and, after a short debate, they agreed. "That's great! Maybe I'll be able to get you back into the trainer business!"

"Don't press your luck, brat. All it takes to end your lives is a single word from me." Dragon said coldly, rattling the Trainers. Through the Aura Link the Guardians had, though…

'_ha HA! Did you see the looks on their faces?' _Mind aura-said, laughing the whole time.

''_All it takes to end your lives is a single word from me'. Man, Dragon, that was hilarious!' _Steel had used a very good imitation of Dragon's voice for this.

"_Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week." _The leader managed to say through his mirth. "_I have the feeling we are going to have some fun torturing… I mean, spending time with these versions of ourselves"_

**One hour later**

The group was forced to stop their travel 5 minutes after starting again when Ash's stomach began to complain. Dragon couldn't believe his old self was so much of a whiner. They stopped and, while they waited for Cilan to finish his cooking, the Guardians left to a nearby clearing, leaving the trainers to themselves. Once they left, May freaked out.

"ASH! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" May all but shrieked. "ONE OF THOSE GUYS NEARLY KILLS ME AND _YOU _INVITE THEM TO TRAVEL WITH US!?" Ash held his ears in pain. Who knew she could scream that loud?

"I'm sorry, May. But I just couldn't leave them to travel alone…" Ash said. His compassion had always been one of his greatest qualities… or, in the eyes of the Guardian of Altomare, also known simply as Dragon, it was sometimes a weakness. Said Guardian was watching from a nearby tree.

"Hmph… that compassion is going to get him killed." Dragon muttered before settling back into his meditation stance. Right now, the only thing on his mind was his family. He was worried how Latias, Ritias and Ritios were faring back home. "Damn you, Celebi… when I find you I'll make you wish you never messed with the Guardians…"

"Hey, Ash?" Cilan began. "Could you go fetch the other you? Food's almost ready. If he's still anything like you he'll come running." The young trainer nodded and, with Pikachu on his shoulder, he ran in the direction he had seen the Guardians leave. He then noticed Dragon sitting on a tree branch, meditating.

"Hey, other me! Come on down! Chow is ready!" You could hear the excitement in the kid's voice at the simple mention of food. Ash began to drool when the scent of the cooking reached him and…

"Not hungry." Dragon said nonchalantly, shocking Ash even more.

"W-wha!?" He could not believe what he had heard. "Not hungry? B-but how can I-, I mean, you not be hungry!" Dragon opened one eye and gave his other self a glare.

"I have spent up to 5 weeks without a taste of food or water. To control Aura, you must learn to control yourself." Dragon was using his sage-like voice for this explanation. "Something I doubt you would be able to do."

"B-but that didn't answer my question! How can you not be hungry if you're me?!" Dragon simply snickered at the question, before looking down at his counterpart.

"Simple, really. 10 years ago, I stopped being the whiner you are." This got the expected reaction from the young Trainer.

"HEY! I AM NOT A WHINER!" Ash, ironically, whined. When he realized that he had, he felt the urge to smack his head against a tree.

"I make my case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meditate." Dragon told him as he settled back in his thoughts, feeling the Aura around him.

"Hey! Don't go leaving me like that! Come on!" The Guardian didn't even react, despite his counterpart's pestering. Getting fed up, Ash picked up a nearby rock, took aim… "Stop ignoring me!" He threw the stone as hard as he could, years of throwing pokeballs giving him the accuracy of a master sniper. The rock flew swiftly towards its target… who simply rose his hand and caught it, without even opening his eyes for a second.

"Sloppy, predictable… Oh how glad I am I changed." Dragon muttered, and closed his fist around the rock. With seemingly no effort, the rock crushed in his hand. "Now, as I said, I am meditating. So leave me alone." If looks could kill, Dragon would've been dead thrice over. Ash glared at his counterpart with as much rage as he could muster, and only muttered four words.

"What happened to you?" Dragon released a heavy sigh at the question, having been one he had heard many times now. He could still hear it on the back of his head, in the voices of the people that had once uttered it, such as the Queen of Cameron when he first arrived, or Team Rocket when their lives were ended.

"Very well, I shall tell you." Dragon said as he jumped off the tree branch, landing deafly on the ground. With a look as cold and hard as steel, he met his other self's glare. "After my loss at the Hoenn League, I began to think. I thought about my adventures, the time I spent as a trainer, of all the things I had accomplished and realized… I came to one conclusion: I had done _nothing_." He raised his hand to stop Ash, who was about to retort. "All of my life, ever since I had been 10, I had simply traveled around the regions, capturing pokemon, fighting and _losing _in _every league._ The Orange league, my one and only actual accomplishment, was nowhere as challenging as a main region league. Realization dawned on me: I had been wasting years of my life pursuing a selfish, arrogant ambition that would only feed my own pride if I succeeded. I had taken countless creatures from their homes and families in order to try to achieve it, and while many of them eventually came to care for me just as I cared about them, how many parents did I leave without their children? How many families did I shatter when I captured them? After realizing this, I felt hollow. I felt as if all sense in my life had been taken away. And with this feeling, I felt another one, deep inside me. I started to explore this feeling, and immediately identified it as nostalgia. But what was I missing? Or rather, who?"

"Did you ever think it may have been your mother? Or your friends? Maybe what you missed was simply the thrill of a pokemon battle!" Ash yelled, drawing the attention of both his friends and the other Guardians. They all approached the Ketchums as they continued to glare at each other.

"For a second, I thought it to be so…" Dragon admitted heavily "But then, I suddenly remembered one of my most memorable adventures: Altomare. I remembered that beautiful island, the museum, the events that happened there… but most importantly, I remembered _her…_" Dragon took out the pictures he had in his pocket, and his gaze softened as he paid attention to the one of his wedding and the one of Ritias and himself, and realized he needed one with Ritios in it. His gaze hardened again when he turned his attention back to Ash. "When I left to train with my aura, it was partly for me to think some more about what I wanted to do. And the more I meditated, the more I noticed one thing: I wanted… no, _needed _to go back to Altomare. I _needed _to be with Latias. And until I was reunited with her, the void I felt was not filled. The day we got married, that void was gone completely. The day my beloved daughter, Ritias, was born, I felt such happiness… happiness I knew I never would've achieved as a Trainer. And even now, if anyone or anything were to pose a threat to either my beautiful Altomare, or my cherished wife and children, I will put an end to their miserable lives with pleasure. And I believe my fellow Guardians all feel the same." The others, with their eyes steeled and burning with pride and passion, nodded. Most of the Trainer group was staring in awe and silence at how mature Dragon was, but Ash had his own steel-hard flaming glare clashing with Dragon's.

**Meanwhile, in the Guardian Poke-verse**

Celebi was taking a leisurely stroll around the Garden of the Lati, thinking of his brilliant scheme. No doubt it had worked perfectly, and he was sure that no one would ever pin the blame on him…

"**FIRE BLAST!" **His thoughts were taken out of his head when a star-shaped blast of fire nearly ripped it off. Slowly, the Time Travel Pokemon turned around and saw several very, _very _pissed off Guardians and their Pokemon mates. The mates of the Guardians he had sent to the other timeline, he noticed, were even angrier, and he had a theory at who that anger was directed to.

"**Oh, uh… hey guys!" **The little sprite said mareepishly. His answer, though, was a powerful Psychic attack to pin him to a nearby tree, and an absolutely _furious _Latias facing him with blue glowing eyes. "**I, uh… OH, LOOK AT THE TIME! GOTTA GO!" **The psychic hold suddenly strengthened, and Celebi could feel the anger-filled glares directed right at him. Latias, Kirlia, Lucario, Weavile, Amphy, Typhlosion and Venomoth had all approached him, and they all had their own attacks ready, ranging from Poison Sting by Venomoth to a full blown Hyper Beam charging up in Typhlosion's mouth. Latias menacingly approached Celebi and uttered a few words… a few words so cold and harsh Celebi panicked when he heard her.

"**Celebi… **_**Where. Is. My. Husband?" **_Celebi was seriously panicking right now, and was sure that this practical joke of his might be more trouble than it's worth.

"**I-I'm not sure what you're talking about… why would I know where Ash is?" **Celebi then released a very manly squeal of fear when hundreds of purple needles imbedded themselves around his head, making a perfect impression of it. "**GYAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" **The little sprite's (And everyone's for that matter) attention was then redirected to a white-glowing silhouette. A small figure was gradually growing in height. The ballet tutu elongated in a long ball gown, and the spikes on her head moved to her chest, and her left fist was covered in white-hot flames. Had he been able to, Celebi would've been shaking like a Groudon-level earthquake at the sight. The spot above his head was obliterated by an incredibly powerful Fire Punch, and the trees behind him were all set ablaze by the intense heat…

"**Answer the question, you little bastard, or I won't miss**" The freshly evolved Gardevoir with a cold voice, just as cold as her husband's when he was in his Berserker form. An Everstone laid crushed at her feet, with nothing to indicate it had once been a palm sized stone. Panic overrode all of Celebi's nervous system, and, just before he was absorbed by the sheer terror he was feeling, he managed to say:

"**THEY'RE IN ANOTHER TIMELINE! I SENT THEM TO ANOTHER TIMELIIIIINE!" ** With a sinister smile, Latias nodded at Weavile, and then said.

"**There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" **The green pokemon relaxed when he heard how calm Latias sounded… until he realized he had now been frozen into the tree by Weavile "**Sadly, you have two choices: You can either bring them back, or stay in that tree. When you have decided to bring them back, just start shaking your head." **Celebi would've gulped loudly when he heard his choices. How was he going to tell them he could not perform an inter-timeline travel to bring them back unless certain conditions were met?

**Andd that's a wrap! HOLY GUACAMOLE! SO MANY REVIEWS ON THE FIRST CHAPTER! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I SWEAR I'LL WORK MY HARDEST ON THIS FIC! THIS IS BLADEOFTHEPOET LOGGIN OUT!**


	3. Arrival and First Challenge!

***Hidden under a table, several Aura blasts flying around* Oh! Uh… heya people! You might be wondering what the ruckus is all about… *Warps to a safer zone* Ash said something really, **_**REALLY **_**stupid and he pissed Dragon off. Right now, Ash is running 'round the ship for his life. **

***BOOM***

… **and I think he just got caught. Luckily Ash is stubborn and sturdy so that won't kill him… scratch that, **_**shouldn't **_**kill him is more appropriate. Yeaaah… Oh well! Now, last time, we saw how friction is building up between the Guardians and the Trainers. Don't worry, though, my good readers… *Smile vanishes, replaced by an ominous grin* … it will only get worse and worse. *Smiles again* Now, without further ado, let us begin!**

**Also, before i forget: Girl of Darkness10 is writing her own version of Guardians of Altomare. I highly recommend you check it out!**

**Near Driftveil Bridge**

The group had once more gotten on the move, walking towards the large bridge connecting to Driftveil City. Dragon was getting progressively annoyed as his other-self kept challenging travelling Trainers to battles. The normally calm and collected Guardian Leader was now ready to smash an Aura coated fist to the next Trainer's face in order to keep travelling smoothly. One look around, though, let him notice that he wasn't the only Guardian ready to kill someone. Dawn had been talking to her other self, Flame, near non-stop ever since they departed an hour ago, and Dragon could see the faint outline of her Aura Tonfas forming on her hands. Dragon connected his Aura to hers, in a desperate attempt to save her sanity.

'_Tough day?' _he asked sarcastically.

'_You have no idea, Dragon…' _Flame grumbled back. '_All I want is to go back home to Ty… ugh, was I _really _like this all the time?' _Flame's voice indicated that she was ready to slit her counterpart's throat and burn her body beyond recognition, and not precisely in that order.

'_Forgive me for being the one to say this… but yes, my sister, you were.' _Flame slumped at his words, confusing her counterpart slightly, but Dragon kept talking. '_If it serves for any kind of consolation, Mind looks just about ready to dismember his other self with a spoon.' _Both Guardians shifted their attentions to the youngest Guardian. The guardian of the Mind had his left eyebrow twitching as his other-self barraged him with never ending questions about the differences in the other timeline. Mind's claws had formed unconsciously, and was constantly flexing and loosening his fists. May had, wisely, kept her distance from the Psychotic Guardian, knowing he was more than capable of killing her on a whim. The Trinity of the Guardians, the first three, the originals, would never admit this…

… But they were at their limit…

"Alright! Time get the next Gym Badge!" Ash exclaimed happily, making Dragon sigh loudly.

"I will never be able to understand why the hell I was so obsessed with winning those worthless pieces of metal…" he grumbled out, enraging Ash.

"HEY! They are NOT worthless. They are proof of the great teamwork me and my Pokemon have! Something _you _lost." Ash retorted, expecting Dragon to be at least flustered. Instead, he snorted loudly, like someone had just told him a good joke but wasn't allowed to laugh. And much to Ash's annoyance, all the Guardians either chuckled or snorted as well. "What's so funny?" Dragon stayed silent, but luckily Steel answered for him.

"Dragon won the Johto, Kanto _and _Hoenn Leagues the year he became the Guardian of Altomare. He dominated the competitions and pretty much destroyed his foes."

"W-whaaat!?" Ash exclaimed, completely flabbergasted. "B-but I thought _you _had abandoned training!"

"I did." Dragon said coldly. "But the prize from my victories was something I needed for the upkeep of my family until I could get a job. Luckily, I eventually discovered the beauty of Bounty Hunting. We usually help Lorenzo out in his workshop, but when business is low we pursue Wanted criminals and gangs. Mind especially enjoys hunting down criminals… although; more often than not we end up delivering them to a morgue rather than a prison cell." Mind chuckled nervously at the last sentence.

"Hehe, what can I say? I have the tendency of getting carried away." Dragon shot him a 'no shit' glare before turning back to his counterpart.

"And you say I have lost my ability for teamwork…" he paused for a second, shooting his other self an ice-cold glare. "… But my brothers and sisters and I work together in a way no human would be able to do with a Pokémon. And so, I have scored another point for myself with your own strike." Dragon's voice was obviously taunting, as if trying to trick Ash into saying something stupid… and he did.

"Grrr… FINE! I'll show you my teamwork is better. I dare you to give me three challenges. If I lose them, I'll submit to whatever punishment you have in mind." Ash stupidly said.

"And if you win?" Trainer Ash smirked at the brilliance of his plan.

"_When _I win, you will have to abandon Altomare." Ash's smirk was wiped off when Dragon smirked back at him.

"Well, if _I _win, then I guess something equivalent should be put on the line…" Dragon said as he thought. "Hm… what could it be… _I know!_" Dragon then glared harshly at his counterpart. "For every challenge you lose, you will release one third of all the Pokemon you have, both here and in Oak's lab. And if you lose the third challenge, you will also abandon Pokemon Training… for life." Ash gasped at the punishment he'd receive if he lost a challenge.

"W-what!? How is _that _equivalent!?" Dragon snarled at his other self.

"You're asking me to give up my only happiness and joy. It is only fair I do the same. Now, will you still take this gamble, knowing what's at stake?" Ash remained quiet, thinking of his chances of winning. He was confident he could beat all three challenges, but if he were to fail just _one, _then he'd be forced to release a lot of his friends… "Take your time making your decision. Just keep this in mind: I am not as innocent as you. My challenges will involve doing things you would consider horrible and inhuman." And with those cryptic words, the Guardians went on walking. "Go get that piece of metal you want so much. We'll go find some local café." The Trainers watched them as they left, fright visible in all their faces as their stoic counterparts left.

"That Dragon… we're more different than I thought…" Ash said out loud.

**A few hours later**

The Guardians were all having a cup of tea in a local restaurant as they waited for their counterparts to return. It had taken them far longer than they had originally anticipated…

"So…" Dragon began. "What do you think of your respective counterparts?" Flame and Mind both stood up immediately, their eyes white and their teeth oddly fanged. (**A/N Standard Edward Elric angry face.)**

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM/HER IF HE KEEPS ASKING QUESTIONS!" They both yelled out, nearly blowing off Dragon's hat. You didn't have to be a genius to understand they were angry.

"I'm serious here, Dragon. If that little pipsqueak keeps it up, I'll make sure there ain't enough of him left to fill a teaspoon!" Mind carried on, his shield forming as he punched the table, accidentally impaling the spikes into it and getting stuck. Luckily he could just dissolve the weapon.

"I second that! That damned brat is tempting me into burning her head off!" Flame was unconsciously spitting out fire with every word. "I mean, seriously! Not only does she ask questions like a machine gun, she uses such a skimpy skirt!" They all sweat dropped at that last comment.

'_She does realize she once wore the same thing…?' _They all thought.

"Right… Steel?" the mentioned Guardian shrugged before speaking.

"In terms of personality, he and I are the same. However, there are some large differences in certain aspects, such as power-wise." The Guardian of Steel formed his claws as he talked. "He was completely shocked when he saw us form our prime techniques. Even more so when we dissolved them just as easily." They all nodded at that.

"There's one more thing…" Thunder's voice rang out. "It was obvious to me when you mentioned the Bounty Hunting, Dragon, especially when you said how often we end up taking a life…" They all shifted their attentions to her. They all had a theory of where she was headed, though. "It is obvious that the mere thought of killing is overwhelming for them. They're too naïve, too innocent…" Dragon sighed at her assessment.

"That they are. That's why I know that the kid won't be able to win my challenges, should he accept taking them." Dragon said solemnly.

"You're planning things you know he'll be unable to accomplish right?" Poison said, a smug smile on her face. Dragon sipped on his tea before answering.

"I have no intentions of leaving Altomare." He said coldly. "And the kid needs to learn the world is not all peace and sunshine. _I _will be the one to enlighten him of the cold, hard truth." Dragon said as he finished his tea, already missing his wife and children. They would always have a cup of tea and talk about their days around this hour, accompanied by the other members of their extended family. He was already planning different tortures for the little weed known as Celebi. He knew he couldn't perform the fatal tortures… he had to leave some for the others, after all. "Now, what the hell is taking them so long? Their Auras haven't left the Gym and it's nearly sundown." The other team members shrugged, not knowing either why it was taking them a whole day to finish the battle. Suddenly, they felt the auras leaving the Gym. They could feel happiness in the young Ash's aura, which was dismally low, compared to their own reserves, but they could also feel smugness. He was most likely going to rub his victory on Dragon's face. Unfortunately for him, Dragon was not going to be affected by that. After the kid arrived and tried (and failed) to get Dragon jealous by showing his new badge, Dragon asked the question.

"So, _are _you going to take on the challenges I have in mind?" dragon asked him coldly. The kid smirked, pumped up by his most recent victory, simply said.

"Bring it on! You better start packing up your bags to leave Altomare behind!" Dragon glared harshly at his other self, and the others saw how his Sacred Technique was starting to form. Dragon managed to calm himself down before it could fully materialize, though.

"Very well. The first challenge… we'll have to wait for _someone _to arrive."

**5 minutes later**

The group had, per Dragon's insistence, left the city and headed north, on to the next city. It was then that Dragon's plan came into action. Team Rocket arrived.

"TEAM ROCKET!?" The trainer group yelled out.

"What a question, so twerpish indeed!" Jessie began.

"The answer to come as we feel the need!" James continued

"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future!" Jessie said.

"Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the black darkness of the universe!"

"And carving our names in rock of eternity!" Meowth piped up.

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!"

"And with thunderous emotion, I am James!"

"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!"

"Now gather, under the name of Team Rocket!" They all finished as Meowth pushed a button, making a robotic hand swoop down and grab Pikachu.

"Nothing quite like the classics!" The feline stated.

"PIKACHU!" Ash yelled dramatically, starting to run behind the retreating balloon, right as Dragon walked beside him.

"Pathetic." He said coldly, before extending his Aura Wings and flying after the balloon. He flew straight at it and sliced off the strings connecting the balloon to the basket, making them fall down and release the yellow mouse. Stunned, the three looked up and saw straight into Dragon's ice-cold eyes.

"Oi! Since when are there 2 leader twoips!?" Meowth yelled out, panicked. Dragon smirked, and bound all three Team Rocket members together with an Aura String. He then turned to his other self.

"I have your first challenge ready, Trainer." Ash smirked back, thinking he had to defeat Team Rocket in battle.

"Oh yeah! Let's do this!" His smirk morphed into confusion when Dragon threw him a small, steel dagger. He then pointed to the bound criminals with his sword, and uttered two words that shook Ash and Co. to their core.

"**Kill them**."

**BOOM! CLIFFHANGER! The first challenge has been issued. Will Ash be capable of slaying Team Rocket? Or will he be unable to do so? Found out next time on Time Crossed Heroes! BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


	4. Going Feral!

**Once more, I am back! Last time, Dragon told Ash to kill team Rocket! The young trainer was obviously shocked by the challenge issued to him. What will he choose? To save the lives of the guys who have been chasing him for as long as anyone can remember? Or will he choose to keep all of his friends? Let's find out in this new chapter of Time Crossed Heroes!**

**Same spot as we left off**

The Trainers (rope-bound thieves included) stared in absolute horror at the counterpart of the kind, naïve trainer leader. Did he just ask Ash to…

"… Kill them?" Ash asked, his voice full of horror and disbelief. Dragon simply nodded at him, his face betraying no feeling.

"I warned you about my challenges, didn't I? Even so, you were reckless enough to take them. I actually didn't think you'd agree. So, what will you do now?" Dragon said, his voice as cold and neutral as his face. "Their lives or your friends?" He threw the question straight at the kid's face. Ash looked at the dagger in his hand…

"No…" He said silently. Dragon cocked his head.

"Beg your pardon?"

"I said NO! I will NOT kill them! They deserve a second chance!" He yelled at his Guardian Counterpart. Dragon lowered his sword at the answer, and sighed loudly.

"Are you really _that _naïve?" Ash flinched at the tone his other self was using. "They HAD second chances. Hell, this would probably be their thousandth chance by now." Dragon raised his sword, poised to strike down the thieves with a single swift motion. "You _lose _this challenge" Dragon began his downward swing, spelling doom for the ones' in its path… when a young teen, with long brown hair kept in a ponytail by a leaf-shaped clip, wearing a green long sleeved shirt and blue shorts emerged quickly from the treeline, followed by a Serperior. Both were heavily injured, and before anyone could ask, two figures emerged after her…

… Two figures with a crossed out pokeball with a crown above it…

Dragon, and all the other Guardians with more beast-like mates, released a primal growl at the sight of the symbol… the symbol of the King's Hunters. Dragon turned to the bound thieves, and simply said.

"Consider yourselves lucky this time." Despite this, Dragon was relieved he wouldn't have to kill someone who didn't deserve it. True, they kidnapped Ritias in the other timeline, but not here. Dragon then turned to the Hunters, and told his brothers and sisters. "Guardians, ATTACK!" They all launched into battle. The Hunters stood no chance before the deadly dance that was the Guardian's teamwork attacks. Flame slipped between one's legs and slashed through his knees, severing the tendons and making the man fall straight into a sheet of electrified ice spikes. The man felt no pain as he descended into the afterlife. His partner, another man carrying a heavy rifle, was thrown into the air by the Berserker, where Steel and Poison landed hundreds of strikes to tendons and ligaments, crippling the man for the final blow: Strength of the Guardian-powered punch by Dragon that fractured his skull. Normally, the Guardians would've felt remorse over taking a life… well, maybe Mind wouldn't, but that's because the Berserker makes him that way… but this time, they didn't even bat an eye. They knew what the Hunters did, and, judging by the ominous glow of their weapons, they were no different in this timeline. The Guardians then hurried over to the injured. Flame knelt down next to the girl, and her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when she recognized her face. She'd been one of the test subjects for the Aura Virus in their timeline!

"Are you alright?" Flame asked the girl. In response she blindly threw an oddly shaped knife at the Guardian, who dodged it out of pure experience and grabbed it by the chain. A Chained Kunai. "Pretty nifty Prime Technique you got there. However, it's best if you don't kill your saviors, you know." The girl's snake-like eyes widened at the word savior, and noticed her pursuers were dead.

"Y-You saved me…" She muttered. "W-why?" Dragon his hand to the girl, who took it rather distrustfully.

"You could say we have a bone to pick with these men." Dragon said, pointing at the Hunters. He then smiled at the girl, and the Trainers noticed this was the first time they had seen Dragon smile. It made him seem less like a war-hardened warrior and more like the Ash they once knew. "Why don't you come with us? You and your… _friend_ look like you could use some help." The girl blushed slightly at the way Dragon said the word 'friend' but none of the Trainers noticed. Knowing she _did _need help, and that, if left alone, those men would come after her again, she nodded. "Alright then. Let's be going then… Oh, and before I forget…" Dragon then strode to his other self and retrieved his dagger, but not before saying once more. "You lose. If you back down from the challenges now, I'll allow you to release only 6 Pokémon rather than a third."

"Y-you killed those men…" Ash said, disbelieving of the deaths he had just witnessed.

"Yes, we did." Dragon answered nonchalantly. "Those men wouldn't have shown any mercy to that girl, and thus, neither should we." Dragon turned to leave with his teammates. "Soon, you'll understand that we live in a world that, sometimes, it is to kill, or _be _killed."

**Two hours later, Mistralton City.**

The weight of the revelation crashed down on Ash. He had told Dragon he'd back away from the challenges, but only because he had no other choice. If he didn't, he'd have to release too many of his friends… What made it worse was the call to Prof. Oak, who he called using Max's Pokenav.

_**FLASHBACK!**_

_Ash sat in a tree stump, tears flowing down his eyes as he waited for the professor to pick up._

"_*BZZT* Hello?" Came the voice of Samuel Oak. Ash swallowed the knot in his throat and spoke._

"_H-hey, Prof. Oak… How's everything back home?" Ash began casually, but Oak noticed the sadness in his voice._

"_Everything is alright here…" The professor answered. "Ash, is everything alright? You sound like someone just told you to release your Pokémon." Ash sighed loudly before continuing._

"_That's because… that's because someone did…" Silence followed, indicating Ash to continue. "I… I made a foolish decision. I accepted a challenge I never should've even considered, and I lost. Because of it, I have to release 6 of my Pokémon…" Ash choked near the end of the sentence._

"_What!? Why? Who would make you do such a thing?" The Professor was clearly outraged, most likely wanting the head of whoever did this. _

"_I-I can't explain this by phone…" Ash said truth fully. Just then, Dragon passed by him and gave (read as 'threw') him a piece of paper, with the word 'Mistralton' written on it. On the back, it said 'Oak _**and **_Delia'. Getting the message, Ash continued. "C-could you and my mom come to Mistralton City in Unova? I can only explain this in person…"_

**FLASHBACK END**

The Trainers were now waiting for the Professor and Delia to get past customs. Ash was trying to find to words to explain what had happened, but wasn't quite sure just _what_ would work.

"I can't just go and say 'Hi mom! Hi Professor! I just met the 'me' from another timeline who leads a team of psychos!'. Yeah, that isn't going to work… WHOA!" Ash fell of his chair when a purple knife impaled itself right next to his chair.

"I do not appreciate anyone calling either me or my brothers and sisters a Psycho." Poison said venomously (Pun intended). The Guardians were explaining to Ava Fihights, the girl they had rescued, how they were from a separate timeline, but didn't really know how to tell her that her other self was… well… killed rather gruesomely.

"So, you guys are the Guardians of a pokelover safe haven?" The Guardian's nodded.

"Yeah, you could summarize it like that." Mind said. "We were also the sworn enemies of the King's Hunters, who…"

"Wait, _'were'?_" Ava questioned the Guardian of the Mind.

"Yeah, _were. _Nearly all of them are 6 feet under… or above, depending on whether we burned the bodies or buried them." The (insanely) bloodthirsty Guardian said dismissively, grinning at the horrified look his other-self gave him. '_Man, I __**LOVE **__messing with this kid!' _He then noticed, however, that the girl hadn't even flinched. In fact, she seemed deep in thought. Dragon caught on to this.

"Listen, Miss Ava. Your counterpart from our world died at the hands of the Hunters." The girl did react visibly at this, her eyes widening at the information. "However, her demise does open a door for us. If you so wish, we could take you back with us when we return to our world and join us.. You would no longer have to run away from anyone, and you would have a secured life. A job, children, a house… in a few words, a family." The words were tempting, clearly spoken from the one that was the undisputed leader of the group. The girl thought about it for a second, before nodding. "Alright then. I have no idea when we'll leave, but rest assured, when we do, your days of worrying will be over. I welcome you into the…"

"ASH!" Dragon was tackled by a clearly female person, interrupting him. "Oh, Ash! Who was it that gave you the challenge! How could someone be so cruel!"

"Uh, mom? I'm over here?" Delia looked up to see her son, and pushed herself off the one she had tackled, not bothering to look at his face, and asked for forgiveness, before tackling her son and repeating the speech.

"Hello, Ash!" Came the happy voice of Prof. Oak. "Now, explain to me, why do you have to release some of your Pokémon? Who would want you to do such a thing?"

"Well…" Ash began.

"That would be me." The man Delia had tackled answered, his facial features obscured by a hat. Delia then turned to the man, hands on her hips, and trying to glare at the man. Her glare was less intimidating than a newborn Pichu, though.

"Ok, Mister! Just what gives you the right to tell my son to release his Pokémon?" Delia asked, anger dripping into her voice.

"I'll answer your question, but first ask your son this: Who is he?" Delia and Oak turned to Ash, who had gotten the gist of what Dragon meant. With a sigh, he began.

"I am Ash Ketchum. Pokémon trainer, Champion of the Orange League and winner of the Battle Frontier of Kanto." Ash said, his voice with pride, but a bit of shame as well.

"Alright, we knew that, but what does _that _have to do with anything?" The Professor asked. The man answered by lifting his head, revealing an older Ash. "W-what the?"

"W-who are you?" Delia asked fearfully. The man's eyes filled with pride as he began to speak.

"I am Ash Ketchum. Former Pokémon Trainer. Guardian of Altomare, Codename: Dragon. Leader of the Sacred Guardians of Altomare, Slayer of King Roland the Dark, Bearer of the spirit of the Paladin, loving husband of Latias and proud father of Ritias and Ritios." The Professor and Delia stared in shock at the man. Delia, however, stopped listening at the 'Slayer of King Roland' part.

"You… my son… killed a man?" Delia asked, tears starting to fall from her eyes. Mind decided to answer the question his leader denied to.

"One? Oh, no, he hasn't killed one man" Delia smiled when the youngest Guardian said that. "I lost track at 1,853.5 men and women during the II War of Aura."

***PLOP***

Everyone stared at the unconscious form of Delia Ketchum. Dragon sighed in exasperation.

"You overdid it, Mind." The accused Guardian simply lifted his hands, chuckling as he did so. Just then, another voice rang out.

"Dawn!" Both Blunettes turned to the origin of the voice, and saw Dawn's mother, Johanna, heading their way.

"Mom!" Dawn said happily as she ran to her mother… However…

The reunion was cut short by loud, primal snarl. Flame's eyes had become red and slit, and long Aura arms materialized over her own. A powerful, transparent flame appeared on her back, and her lips were curled back in a bestial snarl. Dragon cursed loudly when he witnessed this, and began to bark out orders to his teammates.

"ICE! GET READY TO EXTINGUISH FIRES! MIND, GO BERSERKER, NOW! THUNDER, PARALYSIS SHURIKEN, ON THE DOUBLE! STEEL, POISON, GET READY FOR SUBMISSION!" he yelled loudly as Dawn's transformation finished. Over her hands was a pair of long, claw-like limbs made of aura, similar to those of her mate. The flame on her back had extended as well, and was emitting pure heat. "Damn it all, why did _she_ had to come!?

"What's going on?" Ash asked his counterpart, freaking out. "W-what's happening to her!?" Dragon snarled back before answering.

"She's going Feral." He answered as he readied his weapon.

**AND CUT! That's it for now my good readers! Before anyone asks: I am NOT taking OC submissions. The ones that will appear in this fic are submissions that didn't make it to GoA. Now, we saw Flame going Feral. What does this mean? What kind of power do the Guardians hold when using this power? Find out next time on Time Crossed heroes! This is BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


	5. Explanations and Connections!

**HELLOOOOOO MY GREAT READERS! I am back once again! Last time, Flame exhibited a strange new Power: Feral Mode. Just **_**what **_**could this power be, and what does it do? More importantly, why did it release itself so suddenly upon the appearance of Johanna? We'll find out right abooooooout… NOW! **

**Same spot as last time, people!**

The Guardians stood in formation around Flame as the changes finished. The heat she was exuding was near unbearable, and just about everything flammable around her was ignited.

"Great… Just. Fucking. _Great_." Mind growled as he formed the Berserker Armor around himself, not noticing that a picture in his pocket fell off, and, as fate (_A/N And I) _would have it, it landed right in front of Max and May's feet, the latter picking it up and showing it to her brother, their eyes widening upon seeing its contents. With his Armor finished, Mind turned to the recent arrivals of Delia and Oak, the former having passed out again at the sight of the Berserker. "**Whose bright idea was it to invite this **_**hunter **_**here?**" He spat the word Hunter like it was a vile poison.

"D-Delia invited her… what do you mean by 'Hunter'?" Dragon growled at the Professor's answer. Of course it had been his mother, who else would've invited her? Still growling, Dragon spoke.

"MIND! We can deal with the murderer later! First off, we've got to stop Flame!" The Berserker nodded grudgingly, not taking his eyes of Johanna, which was a slightly big mistake. Before anyone could react, Flame was upon Johanna, her whole body set ablaze.

"**FLARE BLITZ!" **She cried, in Poke-language, as she tackled Johanna with her flaming body. The recoil hit her, but Flame just shrugged it off before phasing out of view once more. All the Guardians began to look around, some with their eyes closed to catch sounds better.

"Damn it, where's Ground when you need her…" Thunder muttered as she tried to discern where her teammate was. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate her before she unleashed her next attack on Johanna. She reappeared right on top of the former coordinator, her mouth dripping fire.

"**FIRE BLAST!" **A five pronged, flaming star shot from her mouth, and would've incinerated Johanna, had Ice not set up a thick wall of… well, ice around the woman. Flame hesitated for a split second, and that was more than enough for the Guardians to intervene. Three golden Shuriken impaled themselves on her, one on her arm, one on her leg, and the last one on her stomach, sending waves of paralyzing energy. And right before she could recover, Mind ran in and hit her in the head, knocking her out.

"**Sorry, Flame, but it's the only way." **Mind said apologetically as he lifted her unconscious form and laid it down on a bench.

"MOM!" Dawn yelled as she ran towards her mother, who was nursing the wound caused by the Flare Blitz impact, but her path was intercepted by an Ice Beam. Everyone turned to see the Guardians glaring at Johanna. "W-why are you looking at my mother like that?"

"How many?" Dragon asked out of nowhere, completely disregarding the younger coordinator.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking ab…"

"DON'T YOU DARE PLAY DUMB WITH ME!" Dragon all but roared, his Sword already cackling with the energy of the Sacred Technique. "How many have you killed, _Hunter?"_ Dragon marked his question by pressing his blade against the Coordinator's throat, drawing a small amount of blood. By this point, Johanna was crying out of fear.

"PLEASE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Without moving his sword an inch, Dragon turned to Mind, prompting him to use his recently acquired telepathic powers.

"Hmm… well, I hate to admit this, but she's telling the truth…" Mind ruefully said. Upon hearing this, Dragon removed his sword from its target, dissolved it, and sighed.

"Forgive me… the you from our world and us don't exactly see eye to eye… on anything." Still paralyzed by fear, Johanna could barely nod.

"A shame we couldn't kill this one…" Mind said out loud, nearly causing the newly awakened Delia to pass out again. "Now, whose going to ask what happened to Flame back there?" Several people rose their hands, slightly surprised Mind had practically read their minds. "Hehe, so predictable."

"Enough, Mind, now's not the time." Dragon scolded the Guardian of the Mind. "Now, you must all be wondering what just transpired." All the Trainers nodded, still too shocked to even speak. "You see, whereas I have the Paladin, who specializes in Defensive capabilities, and Mind has the Berserker, who relies on Offensive capabilities, Flame began to develop something we've been calling 'Feral Spirit'. Our research has revealed that this power has come to be from overexposure to the Aura of the Berserker when it was still out of control, and from the mix of her Aura with that of her mate's. The Feral Spirit is optimized for speed and agility, making it a formidable foe. However, whenever the Feral Spirit comes up, Flame loses all semblance of control, and will lash out nearly instantly."

"But why did it come up just now?" Ash managed to ask, and Dragon said a single word in response, pointing at the woman in question.

"Johanna." Confusion spread through the area, and Johanna's eyes widened more than ever before. "In our timeline, when Johanna discovered Flame's relationship with Typhlosion, she ratted her own daughter out to the King's Hunters. She even joined the Hunt to try and kill her." Horror, a feeling Ash had felt constantly ever since the Guardian arrived, began to spread among the Trainer group and their parents. "We found her when she arrived nearly dead to Altomare, parts of her body, and her mate's, riddled with Dark Crystal bullets. If Nurse Joy hadn't been as good as she is, Flame would be dead now. And all because Johanna was unable to accept change" Silence draped the scene for a few seconds as everyone swallowed the information they just got.

"W-where's the other me now?" Johanna asked tentatively. Dragon faced away from her, not wanting to be the one to break the news…

"Meh, her incinerated corpse must be floating somewhere around the Ozone layer right now… Poor Ozone…" Mind said as bluntly as ever, which earned him the usual: a Gibbs slap from Dragon. "OW! Ok, I should've seen that one coming…"

**Secret Garden of the Lati, Guardian Timeline**

"So, basically you're saying that, until they reach a certain point of synchrony between the Timelines, you can't bring them back!?" Shikyo, the Guardian of Grass, codenamed Death, yelled at Celebi, who simply nodded in return.

"**When I sent them over, both Guardians and Trainers had a sense of Pride: Dragon had been teaching Ritias to use her Aura, and she was making amazing progress, and the Trainer Ash had just won another badge." **The time traveler explained. "**I had originally planned to send them over for a few days, and then bring them back, but there was one thing I failed to foresee…" **Kir… I mean, Gardevoir, caught on instantly.

"**They hate each other, don't they?" **Celebi nodded.

"**Dragon feels that Trainer Ash is too immature and naïve, which, may I add, he is, and Trainer Ash feels that Dragon is too cold and logical. Sadly, he has never seen the way Dragon behaves when he's here…" **The little sprite sighed, partly in exasperation and annoyance, and partly out of slight shame. "**There is one way to temporarily connect both timelines, however." **Everyone perked up at that.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Adrian Rachni, Guardian of Web, codenamed Web, said. "Out with it already!"

"**There are things in the timelines that are exactly the opposite from here." **Celebi began. "**For example, in this timeline May, Norman and Caroline betrayed Max, and the latter two eventually came to terms with Mind. In the other timeline, May is still completely human, and Norman and Caroline haven't done anything against Max." **He stopped for a second to let them absorb the info. "**Now, if they were to meet the opposites, and release the feelings they have towards the other selves of the ones they met, I can establish a connection between the worlds."**

"What do you mean by 'Release the feelings'?" Shadow inquired. Celebi chuckled slightly before answering.

"**They… have to sing them…" **Silence ensued…

"Glad we're not there…" Tien Keres, Guardian of Ghost, codenamed Angel stated.

**Back to the Trainer Timeline**

The Guardians were sitting around a round table, each with their own cup of tea, drinking it while the Trainers talked inside the restaurant. They had all agreed not to tell Flame she had gone Feral again, preferring to wait until they can figure out how to control it better. While they were all relaxing, though, Ash approached Dragon.

"H-hey, other me…"

"Dragon."

"Huh?"

"Refer to me as Dragon, please." Dragon told the Trainer Ash, who sighed, knowing he'd need the guy in a good mood.'

"Ok. Dragon, I was wondering… Could you… maybe, I don't know… uh..." The trainer was obviously nervous about what he was going to ask for.

"Out with it. I don't have all day." Dragon practically ordered. With a gulp.

"I want you to give me one more challenge. If I win, I won't have to release any Pokémon, and if I lose, I'll release them all at once. Those that sound fair to you?" Dragon smirked. The kid was getting smarter.

"Alright then, how about this: you'll have to sleep with one of your female companions." He said smugly before taking a sip of his tea. Everyone, except for Ash, stared wide eyed at the Guardian, knowing why he chose that as a challenge: There wasn't the slightest chance Ash would take that challenge…

"Alright then, I'll do it." … Ok, maybe there was. The Trainers were answered by Dragon spitting out the mouthful of tea he had in his mouth, having been expecting a big fat '_**NO**_'. After coughing a bit, he turned to Ash.

"You DO know what I meant by 'sleeping' with one of them, right?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Yeah, sure. Go in bed and fall asleep with one of them next to me, right?" Ash asked innocently. Dragon sweatdropped at the comment.

"Uh, no, not what I meant. Not 'just' sleeping..." Ash tilted his head in confusion. "You know, you gotta... uh... 'Do the job' with one of them..."

"What job?" And with that, Mind stood up, and practically roared.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS, HE'S TELLING YOU TO FUCK ONE OF THEM!" And then, silence reigned in the area. "Sweet legends, you are one dense motherfuc…" Any other comments were shut off by Steel placing his hand on Mind's mouth. With a heavy sigh, Dragon turned to Delia.

"You haven't given him the Pidgeot and the Beedrill talk yet, have you?" With a slight blush, Delia shook her head, and Dragon sighed again. "Come on, he's 15 already! Does he even know how babies are made?" Ash shook his head, and Dragon literally smashed his head against the table, cracking it, and had a single thought in his head.

'_Why me?'_

**And that's a wrap. This chapter is a bit shorter than the last, I know, but we've learned some interesting facts. Celebi can establish a connection between the worlds, and Ash is even denser than we originally thought. But will he take the challenge once he knows what Dragon is talking about? We'll see! This is BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


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